March 26, 2016
By Charles Goldberg
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- It didn't matter to Auburn, whether the Tigers had to play long ball, which they did to win their first game; or whether they had to play small ball, which they did to complete the doubleheader sweep of South Carolina on Saturday.
Auburn showed both sides of its game in beating the Gamecocks 5-2 and 4-3 at Jane B. Moore Field.
"You win both ways," said coach Clint Myers. "But the thing we talked about all season long is the timely hitting. We got people in scoring position and we scored it. Did we miss on a couple? Sure. But, for the most part, we scored more than we left out there."
Hot-hitting Jade Rhodes provided the power with her team-leading 11th home run and Whitney Jordan hit her fifth in the first game. The Tigers bunted and scored the game-winner on a Madi Gipson groundout in Game 2. Both games had common themes in top-notch relief pitching and first-rate defense.
"Good teams figure out ways to win," Myers said.
Auburn improved to 30-4 overall and 6-3 in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina fell to 24-9 overall and 2-7 in the league.
Rhodes, who hit a homer in Friday's 10-0 win over the Gamecocks, continued her power surge Saturday with a home run in the second. She added the go-ahead RBI in the third.
"Jade has just had a phenomenal year," Myers said.
Jordan hit a long homer in the fourth for a 4-2 lead. Gipson had an RBI double in the fifth.
South Carolina pressed Auburn in the fifth, but the Tigers worked out of a bases-loaded jam thanks to the relief pitching of Makayla Martin; and defensive plays by Gipson, who had a strong throw to the plate to prevent a run; and then a running catch by Victoria Draper in center to end the inning. Jordan, the shortstop, turned an unassisted double play to end the sixth.
Starter Rachael Walters won the first game to improve to 5-2.
The nightcap saw Auburn score three in the third on an RBI singles by Jenna Abbott and Jordan, and an RBI groundout by Tiffany Howard.
It was the kind of small ball that leadoff hitter Howard plays.
"A few teammates and I always go out there and bunt, so to actually see it put in a game, it means a lot," she said.
South Carolina scored two in the fourth, and threatened for more before Kaylee Carlson came on in relief and got out of a bases-loaded situation to end the inning. South Carolina scored one in the fifth to tie the game.
Gipson's RBI groundout put Auburn back up 4-3 in the fifth.
The Gamecocks had a runner at third with one out in the last inning, but Carlson took a hopper to the circle, threw home and catcher Carlee Wallace tagged the runner out.
"My defense has been great this past week, the whole season. I'm trying to do my job because I know they're going to back me up," Carlson said.
Carlson, the starter and winner Friday, picked up the win in relief of Lexi Davis to improve to 8-0. She said she's comfortable winning either way.
"Coming in for her, I know I'm at best to save her, because I know she'd do the same for me," Carlson said. "Going out there with a clean slate, it's kind of like you know you're going to do your own thing."
Auburn is at Kentucky next weekend.
Charles Goldberg is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @AUGoldMine